CAIRO: Israel's Ambassador to Egypt Yitzhak Levanon refuted Monday media reports that claimed that Egyptian authorities asked him to leave the country on vacation to appease the public, according to the official Middle East News Agency (MENA). He added that coordination with the Egyptian government continued on different levels. MENA added that the Voice of Israel Radio quoted Levanon on Monday saying that Israeli officials arrived back to Egypt on Sunday, adding that it hasn't been decided yet whether the Israeli diplomats' children would return to Cairo anytime soon. He speculated that it is unlikely they would return during the current time. Levanon along with 80 embassy staff members and their families were flown home early Saturday morning, after protesters broke into the embassy and brought down the Israeli flag on Friday night. The deputy head of the Israeli mission remained in Egypt to maintain diplomatic contacts with the authorities. The incident, where protesters mashed through an external security wall, tossed embassy papers from balconies and tore down the Israeli flag, was the worst since Israel set up its mission in Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state, in 1979. Mohamed El-Shahat, dubbed “Flagman” on Twitter, was the first one to tear down the Israeli flag and replace it with the Egyptian one on Aug. 21. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) later reinstated the Israeli flag and built a security wall along the street on which the embassy is located to prevent any intrusion, a move which provoked the Egyptian masses. Last month, Egyptians broke out in protests demanding to expel the Israeli ambassador, following the killing of six Egyptian soldiers on the border.
